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Hurricanes’ Eric Staal has knee sprain

RALEIGH — Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal has a sprained right knee, but the injury will not require surgery, it was determined Saturday.

Staal has a third-degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament, and his recovery time has been set at three months, which would mean he’d be ready for the Canes’ training camp.

Staal suffered a knee-on-knee hit Thursday during Canada’s game against Sweden in the IIHF World Championship in Stockholm. Swedish defenseman Alex Edler, who hit Staal, was suspended for the remainder of the event by the IIHF for what its disciplinary panel called a “reckless, dangerous” hit.

Staal returned to Raleigh from Sweden on Friday night and underwent an MRI on Saturday.